It Wasn't Even Us In The End
by TedTheDead
Summary: How many years? How many years had he been lovesick, a yearning child needy for her comforting touch, a desperate man aching for the soft silk of her skin?


_Had another idea that I had to gut onto the page, yknow? Sometimes you just need a break from your main thing, and that's totally okay right? Just a little one-shot to whet our palettes ;) I'll be back working on Hidden soon, I promise. _

* * *

How many years?

How many years had he been lovesick, a yearning child needy for her comforting touch, a desperate man aching for the soft silk of her skin?

Far too many, Kakashi thought, as he finally tore his eyes away from the woman on the street, turning away from the window and back to his desk. The stacks of paper that rose in thick pillars around him were just more walls to separate him from the people he cared about, even beyond the ones that his cynical ass was so prone to putting up.

Kakashi sighed.

He had hoped for more out of life than this, once upon a time.

But that was a long, long time ago, Kakashi thought, as he propped his chin in his hand and returned to gazing blankly out of the window, distracted by the dazzling autumn colors of the forests. He never had been great at paperwork.

His mind was beginning to wander, to wander back to the girl in the street, who was almost surely on her way there now-

_Knock knock knock_

Ah, there she was. With the polite, but firm, knock to accompany her.

"Come in," Kakashi called, waving absently at the door without looking away from the large window.

The door creaked open, screeching loudly enough that Kakashi took a mental note to have maintenance take a look at it. If they ever got around to it. If _he _ever got around to it.

"Good afternoon, Lord Hokage," she said, demurely, taking a polite bow when she stood before him, as was customary.

"God, _please _stop calling me that," Kakashi whined, spinning in his chair to look at her.

Just like every time he saw her, Haruno Sakura was beautiful enough to strike him speechless.

Sakura had clearly run up here, hoping to handle the formalities of her mission report quickly and get back to her friends that waited outside. Her hair was a little windblown, her cheeks a little ruddy. The flush only brightened the mesmerizing jade of her eyes, only made her glow more brightly. Like a star orbiting around him, calling out to him every night.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Kakashi-sensei. But I can't pass up an opportunity to fuck with you, can I?" she said, with a breathless grin, still too winded to laugh outright.

Kakashi cleared his throat. He wished she'd _never _pass up an opportunity to fuck with him. Figuratively _or _literally.

"Does that mean I can't pass up the opportunity to send you right back out to the field?" he asked, the taunt clear in his voice as he waggled a manila folder thick with papers under her nose.

"Oh, no, please don't," she begged, giggling. "Tomorrow's my first day off in weeks and I promised Ino that she could dress me up and drag me out of the house tonight. She insists that I need to get out and act stupid."

"Consider it your lucky day then," he said, dropping the file back into the chaos that was his desktop. He eyed it warily; every day it seemed to get bigger and bigger, like it was making fun of him for being so terrible at this whole being-in-charge thing. "I want to get out of here before sundown, so it's just going to have to wait until tomorrow."

"Oh yes, that's _very _professional of you."

Kakashi threw a half-hearted glare her way, prompting her to bow again, with a grand, sarcastic flourish.

"Oh, excuse me. Very professional, _my lordship._"

Kakashi crumpled a sheet of paper into a ball and threw it at her, almost too fast to see. Sakura leaned sharply to the left and lashed her arm out to slap it away, ready to tease him for being too slow.

Luckily, Kakashi had absolutely no qualms about taking things a little bit too far.

He unleashed a barrage of tightly-smashed cannonballs of paper, paper that would absolutely have to be unwrinkled and re-collated by some poor intern, but Kakashi honestly didn't care. All he cared about were the ringing peals of Sakura's laughter as she dodged and swatted at the projectiles, and the grin the grew safely behind the confines of his mask. 39 years old, and he was still acting like a little boy; acting out to get the attention of the girl he liked.

Slowly, he collected himself and stopped throwing things at her. Better not to risk pushing too many of her buttons and ending up with a splintered desk – or worse – splinted legs. You really never knew with Sakura. Kakashi sighed as he began to neaten the remaining papers back into their appropriate piles. To her credit, Sakura was kicking the crumpled snowballs of mission data into tidy little piles on the floor.

"Back to the matter at hand, your mission report?" Kakashi asked, quirking one eyebrow up in question as he readjusted his gloves around his wrists. The constant writing and signing were taking their toll on his joints.

"Oh, yes," Sakura said, "I have it right here."

Sakura rounded the desk to stand next to Kakashi. He had to hold his breath as she tucked back the panel of her skirt, exposing the lean, muscled curve of her thigh, clad in spandex as tight as a second skin. She fiddled with her thigh holster for a moment, before pulling out a tightly sealed scroll that had been tucked discreetly between her kunai.

"One of these days you're going to nail an enemy shinobi right between the eyes with sensitive information," Kakashi said, taking the scroll from her and trying not to react as their fingertips brushed past each other. The feeling crackled to his core, more electrifying than any chidori he had ever produced.

"You taught me better than that, you old cynic," Sakura replied, rolling her eyes and pulling down the hem of her skirt. Kakashi tore his eyes away from her leg and looked back at his desk, slapping himself for even allowing his mind to go there.

"Well, I tried at least," Kakashi said, laughing blandly as Sakura went to the door and opened it.

She paused, taking a moment to glance around the room, at the piles of paperwork, at the unopened packages almost undoubtedly full of more files, at Kakashi himself, a cold scarecrow in a field of white and black. He looked so, so tired.

"I know it's a lot, Kakashi-sensei, but I really do think you're doing a good job. The rewards just aren't as obvious when we're not at war. The stakes aren't so high, and it might be hard to see all the good you're doing. But we are really, really lucky to have you, Lord Rokudaime," Sakura said, smiling softly as she looked in his eyes from across the room. She bowed, politely, seriously, and left. "See you later, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi didn't manage to force out a weak goodbye until well after she left, stuck on her words. The guilt, the shame he sometimes felt for harboring these feeling for his former student, his much younger subordinate, they evaporated into the slightest wisps of steam when she spoke like that. Sakura was such a bubbly, sweet girl, with moments of such intense love and kindness that it could leave a man's head spinning.

Kakashi pushed away from the desk and got to his feet. He didn't want to be here anymore, at least not for the rest of the afternoon. He pulled a neon-green book from amongst the endless towers of paperwork, tucked it into his pouch, and followed Sakura's path out of the door.

* * *

Hours later, and Kakashi was wandering through the dimly lit Konoha roads, no real destination in mind.

He had been restless, unable to stop fidgeting in the silence of the tiny studio room he still insisted on renting. So, he was doing what he often did these days, outfitted in disguise and rambling about the village the way he used to, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his mind somewhere far above the clouds. Dressed this way, with purple synthetics across his face and his hair henge-d a soft shade of brown, Kakashi could pass through unrecognized, as anonymous and unapproachable as he had once been.

There was no real aim to his steps, only a bored tramping through the streets as he stared listlessly at the sky. It was evening now, and the pinks of the sunset had long since given way to the deeper inky night, dotted here and there with stars. There were fewer of them than usual, now that he was in the heart of the village, where streetlights and neon signs still lit the buildings like daylight.

Kakashi sighed, pulling at the scarf around his neck and loosening it, letting a last gust of cool air pool beneath the layers of his coat and scarf, and scooted his way into the nearest bar.

Inside, he pulled off the coat entirely, leaving himself in a short sleeved grey shirt that left _so_ much of his face and neck exposed. Kakashi steeled himself, trying not to show how uncomfortable it tended to make him. At any moment, he expected someone to whirl around and realize it was him and assail him with questions and honorifics. He moved quickly to the bar, taking his seat smoothly and laying his things across his lap.

Kakashi had only been there for a few minutes when the bartender came to serve him, glass already in hand.

So, maybe he did this often. Often enough that the bartender had already set the glass down in front of him, her manicured nails making a satisfying clacking sound against the cold bottle as she poured the chilled shochu out for him. Kakashi took it with a polite nod of the head, and she left a napkin for him as she walked away.

Left alone with his drink, Kakashi pulled out a book from his coat and set into read, already shutting out everything around him. The bustling din of the bar faded away into white noise as he read and sipped at his drink. It carried on that way for hours, the bartender every so often discreetly refilling his drink without bothering him, earning her expectedly large tip.

That's why he was taken completely by surprise when a glittery girl dropped into the seat beside him, leaning on the bar with her chin in her hand and looking at him expectantly.

Alcohol almost shot out of Kakashi's nose when he looked up to see Sakura sitting there, staring at him, like she was waiting for something. Panic took him to his core – if anyone would recognize him, it would be Sakura.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Kakashi shut his eyes with shame when his voice shook obviously with surprise. He'd been drinking for a while at this point, and his self-control over his voice and appearance was tenuous at best.

"Absolutely, you can buy me a drink," Sakura said, eyes sparkling. Kakashi wondered how long she had been here; she couldn't have gotten here long after he did. She was a little tipsy herself, swinging playfully back and forth on the barstool. Under the dim bar lights, the tiny gold flowers embroidered on the gauzy pink cotton of her yukata glittered like fireflies, and her legs looked impossibly long under the short skirt.

As Kakashi's eyes quickly flicked down and back up, he watched Sakura prop her foot – still in her heavily-soled combat sandals, despite the pretty little outfit – on the rungs of his own stool. Her leg brushed against his, somewhere in between innocently and suggestively. In his slightly hazy state, he couldn't tell which. A slight flush crawled its way across his cheekbones, completely visible without his mask in place, but he barely noticed. Instead, he just nodded at the bartender, who was trying and failing to conceal a wry smile as she took Sakura's drink order. A hot sake. How very much like her mentor.

"So, what are you doing here all alone, reading a book at the bar?" Sakura asked, addressing him over the rim of her cup as she blew away the steam. Kakashi pretended not to be entranced by the way her lips puckered against the edge of the porcelain.

"Exactly what it looks like, I'm reading," he said, flicking the cover shut and waving it back and forth in front of her. Kakashi was just thankful he'd actually left something other than Icha Icha in this coat the last time he'd worn it; she'd definitely know who he was if he had done something at blatantly stupid as that. "What are _you _doing here, coming up to random strangers and asking for drinks?"

"Exactly what it looks like, getting a free drink," she answered, winking at him. Kakashi gulped, his throat going tight.

"That, and it looks like my friend is officially locked in for the night," Sakura continued, giggling as she pointed behind Kakashi's shoulder. When he turned, he saw Ino, tucked away in a booth and draped over something that looked suspiciously like Shikamaru.

Kakashi snorted as he turned back around.

"Good for her," he said, laughing as he turned back to the bar. He remembered being like that when he was younger too, sneaking away to dark corners to do unspeakable things at unspeakable times.

"Yeah, good for _her,_" Sakura repeated after him, her voice thick with jealousy and innuendo. Kakashi turned to look at her, just as she crossed her legs, letting the panels of her yukata ride up just that much more, putting even more of her thighs on display. Kakashi's eyes were wide, his jaw clenched tight just so it wouldn't drop open in shock.

Was _Haruno Sakura _trying to _pick him up in a bar?_

This younger generation and their bravado. Kakashi liked it more and more every day, maybe even envied it. With the icy shochu still flooding his veins and removing any sense of tact cleanly from his mind, Kakashi replied, "I seriously doubt you would have any trouble doing that if you, ah, wanted to." He tripped over the end of his sentence as Sakura leaned over on the bar again, letting the front of the yukata drape open slightly.

She smiled brightly when he said that, now well and truly focused on the attractive dark-haired man hiding at the end of the bar.

"That's very sweet of you to think so…?" she said, the pause at the end of her sentence twisting up into a question.

"Sukea."

Realization broke across her features.

"I knew you looked familiar! You tried to help us get a picture of my sensei's face when I was a kid, remember?" she said excitedly, perking up as she remembered "him." Kakashi smiled, relaxing. She wouldn't be recognizing him for who he _really_ was, and that was good. It would be too awkward to explain it away at this point.

"I do, actually," he said, grinning at her over his own drink. "Did you ever end up seeing his face, after all this time?" he asked, curious for his own sake.

"No," she answered, pouting. "And believe me, I've tried. I've been trying for _years," _she finished, brandishing her drink wildly to emphasize her point. Kakashi laughed, _really _laughed, just at the sheer irony of it.

"Sounds like an eventful few years," he said, laughing into his shochu.

"Ah well, not really. Naruto got married and had a kid. Sasuke, the one with the black hair, has been off doing who knows what for _several_ years now," she said, rolling her eyes and waving her hand dismissively.

"And that just leaves you, hmm?" Kakashi asked, watching closely as Sakura shifted in her seat to let the bartender refill her cup, her graceful arm extending like a ballerina's in dance.

"That just leaves little old Sakura, yes. Little old me and," she said, turning back to face him and draping her leg even more lasciviously against his, "little old you."

Kakashi said nothing, thinking it his wisest course of action, deciding instead to just sip his drink with extreme dignity.

"Are you back in town for long, Sukea?"

"Mmm, I'm not sure yet," he answered, thoroughly unhelpful.

"Didn't you carry around a camera, before? Do you still do that?" Sakura asked, pressing on.

"Yes, actually," Kakashi said, fumbling it out of the pocket of his coat. Without thinking, he lifted it to his eye and snapped a picture of Sakura. The flash was so bright she almost toppled out of her seat, giggling like a fool.

The bartender, and the manager, found it much less entertaining.

They soon found themselves outside of the bar, with Kakashi rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and apologizing to Sakura. She, however, thought it was hilarious.

"We can find something better for you to take a picture of, anyway. Come with me," she said, taking him by the hand and pulling him behind her as she made her way…somewhere. Kakashi didn't have the slightest clue, and was so entranced by the feeling of her small, warm hand in his that it was a miracle he didn't trip and fall onto the hardpacked dirt.

_I doubt it,_ he thought, thinking of the glossy photograph shoved inside of his coat pocket, still only half developed when he had stuck it in there as they were shuttled out of the bar. But even without being fully developed, Kakashi could see the off-guard beauty of the photo, Sakura's rosy lips parted in a slight "O" and her eyes bright green and dancing, the lights of the bar lighting up the crown of her hair like a halo.

It took a good few minutes for Kakashi to realize where they were headed, only figuring it out as Sakura stopped and craned her neck to look straight up.

"I don't need some postcard photo of these."

"That's fine. Nobody would want that picture anyway. What we want, Mr. Sukea, is all the way up there," Sakura answered, stretching her arm out and pointing all the way at the very top of the carved faces of the Hokage Mountain.

"Are you sure?" he asked. This was going a little far, getting a little out of hand. "I could have all sorts of bad intentions about getting you alone, you know."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," she said, turning to look at him without letting go of his hand. "I could destroy you if I wanted to."

Her voice dropped as she said that, husky and heavy as Sakura looked up at him through her eyelashes. Kakashi's gut tightened in reaction, blood rushing very inconveniently south. The threat came so easily from her cherry-red lips that Kakashi almost wanted to test it, if only to watch her run around in that pathetic excuse of a kimono.

"Is that a threat, or a promise?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice controlled.

She winked at him and didn't bother answering. Instead, Sakura turned around to look back up the mountain for a moment, thinking. Then she turned to look back at him over her shoulder.

"So, Mr. Sukea, you have shinobi training, right?"

"I do," Kakashi answered, a grin starting to spread across his face. Sakura's eyes brightened as he smiled, her gaze clinging to the curve of his soft pink lips and the sharp angles of his jaw.

"Then let's see how good it was," she said, smiling with overwhelmingly saccharine sweetness. And then, faster than he could blink, Sakura was gone, shooting vertically into the sky and leaping along the massive stone faces. He laughed and set off after her.

Sakura may have held the advantage in strength, but Hatake Kakashi had the advantage in speed. In fractions of seconds, he was at her heels, pushing off of the carved stone hard enough to gouge a craggy gash into his own effigy.

Oh well – he had a scar there anyway.

Kakashi overtook her a moment later, swinging up and over the cliff-like edge on top of the mountain heads triumphantly. Sakura popped up over the edge just a moment later, cheeks glowing ruddily and breathing heavily, her yukata in disarray.

"Beginner's luck," Sakura said, panting.

"Beginner? Do I need to remind you that I'm significantly older than you are?" Internally, Kakashi winced. He didn't really want to remind either of them of that right now. But apparently, Sakura didn't care about that at all.

"You'll just have to race me again, I guess," she said, drawing in closer to Kakashi. A gust of cold autumn wind, stronger here on top of the mountain, pushed her tightly against him. Kakashi felt every inch of her surprisingly soft body pressed into his as she shivered.

He tensed around her. This was dangerous. His resolve was dissolving between his fingers as Sakura continued to press her body against his.

"Cold?" he asked, prompting her to nod furiously into his chest.

"Here," he said, softly, pulling off his coat and draping it across her shoulders. Sakura blushed and nuzzled her face deeper into his chest. Her hair tickled the bottom of Kakashi's bare chin, and he had to force himself to stay still, to neither tear himself away and run or to kiss her right there and then.

"So, what was it you wanted to show me?"

"Hmm?" Sakura asked dreamily, barely paying attention. Kakashi's laughter was gentle rumble deep in his chest, humming against her cheek as he reached into the jacket pocket and pulled out the old camera.

"You said you had something for me to take a picture of, before you got me to run all the way up here," he teased lightly, swinging the camera back and forth at the end of the strap.

"Oh, it won't be ready for a while," she said, voice still as far away as before as she continued toying with the fabric of his shirt. Blood was rising in his cheeks, pounding more quickly through her heart with every movement of her hand.

"And why's that?"

"You'll see later, but believe me, it's worth the wait."

"Oh, and you expect me to stay here and wait, do you?"

"I can think of a few ways to kill the time," she said.

Kakashi could never have prepared himself for the sensation of Sakura's lips on his own, for the warm feeling of her hands sliding beneath his shirt and against the skin of his stomach. He almost flinched with surprise, and as it was he had to grab her by the wrists and look her seriously in the eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" he choked out, half-strangled.

"Yes, of course, now please," she said, straining forward and managing to latch her lips again onto his neck, leaving a trail of light, tickling kisses up his throat and behind his ear.

"Why?" Kakashi managed to ask, forcing it out. Part of him wanted to slap himself fully across the face, for even trying to derail this one and only golden opportunity. But another part of him demanded that he ask, that he be sure, that he stop this before something went wrong. Kakashi loved this girl. He didn't want to hurt her, lie to her, use her. But would he ever have any other chances? Didn't she want this herself? Why couldn't he just let it happen?

Sakura reached behind herself, fidgeting for a moment.

"Because you looked so dramatic and mysterious, sitting there reading at the bar. It reminded me of someone I know, and I wanted to see if you were him."

"Relieved I'm not?" he asked, his voice light but heart sinking heavily. Who else could she be referring to but him? It was a painful thing to hear from the mouth of someone you loved.

"Actually, a little disappointed," she said, giggling. Sakura hiccupped a little, then paused and collected herself. "The crush I have on that old idiot, and I don't even know what he looks like. But what can I say, I have a thing for strong authority figures," she finished. She brought her arms back out in front of her just as Kakashi's mind slowly began to piece together the bomb she had just dropped on him.

"But I know that you look amazing, Mr. Sukea," she purred, "And there are better ways to stay warm than giving me your coat."

And then her obi dropped to the ground and the yukata fell open and the bomb in Kakashi's chest absolutely detonated.

Moonlight marbled across her skin, her soft breasts perky and round, nipples hard from the cold wind around them. A creamy beige lace curved over her hip and between her thighs, lingerie so close to her skin color that Kakashi had to do a double take.

Sakura reached up to take his face in both of her hands, her eyes momentarily fixated on the freckle just to the side of his mouth as her thumb traced over it.

"Cute," she breathed, and then pulled Kakashi's face down to crash her lips into his once again.

This time, he didn't fight her, _couldn't _fight her. He tasted the sake on her lips, felt her hands twisting into the fabric of his shirt.

Kakashi's eyes slid shut as he began to kiss her back, tongue swiping against her lips. He felt Sakura smile into the kiss as she obliged, letting him brush his tongue against hers. His hands fell tentatively, nervously, to her hips. There was a moment of awkwardness before instinct took over and inhibition was thrown to the side by the alcohol in his system. Kakashi then clenched at her hip and pulled her tighter against him, relishing the feeling of pushing against her soft curves. His fingers traced beneath the lacy edge of her underwear, eliciting a breathy moan from Sakura's lips.

She bit his bottom lip, making Kakashi growl, a noise so savage it bordered on a snarl. Sakura gasped in surprise at the noise and then giggled. The sound sent shivers up her spine, made her grip tighter to him.

Kakashi grabbed her by the backs of her thighs and lifted her, and Sakura wrapped her legs tightly around his hips. She moaned as she felt his hard cock grinding between her thighs, breaking the kiss and throwing her head back. Kakashi attacked her throat, leaving wet kisses and sharp bites all the way down her throat.

He carried her toward a small copse of pines, sheltering them both from the wind and pinning Sakura against the rough bark of a tree. Sakura gasped at the impact, digging her nails into his shoulders.

Kakashi dropped her to her feet, then forced her legs apart with a knee between her thighs. Sakura pulled his face down to kiss him again as he slipped his hand wholly inside of her underwear, brushing lightly over soft curls and finally finding the warm wetness that he had imagined so, so many times.

Kakashi dropped into a crouch on the ground, making Sakura squawk with confusion and indignation. That was until he hiked her leg up, bracing the back of her thigh against his shoulder and pulling the damp lace of her panties aside, and spread her apart to lap greedily at the wetness between her thighs and make Sakura squeal with delight. When Kakashi pushed two fingers inside of her, rubbing his thumb methodically over her clit, Sakura groaned like a ravaged animal, vision blanking out as Kakashi's fingers curled inside of her, in and out over and over again until she was almost over the edge.

Sakura clenched her fingers in his hair and pulled, forcing him to rise to his feet and kiss her. She could still taste herself on his lips, and it only made her wilder, more desperate, more needy. She hitched her leg over his hip and ground the wet fabric of her underwear against the front of Kakashi's pants, fisting at his hair and desperately begging for pleasure.

Her hands dragged at his waistband, shoving his pants out of the way. Kakashi obliged, freeing himself of his clothing and lining himself up with Sakura's entrance.

Time stood still, just for a second. To Kakashi, all there was in the world was him and Sakura, just their warm bodies together and the sound of their heavy breathing.

And then he sank into Sakura's warm folds, forcing a noise from her throat like she was dying. Sakura clenched around him, making him growl into her throat as he bit roughly at her neck. Kakashi had Sakura pinned to the tree by the waist, pounding in and out, slow and hard. Every thrust drove them both closer and closer to the edge. Warmth and tightness twisted in the bottom of his gut as Sakura's inner muscles tightened around him, moans tumbling from between spit-slicked pink lips, moans he swallowed with his mouth pressed against hers.

Kakashi backed away from the tree, carefully maneuvering to set Sakura on her back on the ground. She arranged the coat beneath her, then let Kakashi push her knees up to her chest.

Sakura pulled in a sharp intake of breath as Kakashi spit onto the flushed red skin of her clit and rubbed it with his thumb, making her calves spasm uncontrollably as she tried not to scream. His fingers curled inside of her once, twice, three times before pulling out.

The moan was low, guttural as Kakashi slid the thick length of his cock back inside of her, pushing through those muscles deep inside of her and making her whole body contract. Mewls and groans leaked from her throat as he fucked her into the ground, pulling out slow each time and snapping back in with brutal thrusts that sparked white flares in her vision.

Sakura bit Kakashi's shoulder when she came, her hips bucking hard as the orgasm wracked her body, fists clenching at his sides as she shook. When it was over and she had ridden it out, Kakashi thrust inside of her again, nearing his own climax. Sakura moved, crawling to her knees.

"Payback, for the drink," she said, winking and panting heavily. She pushed Kakashi down until he sat on the ground, and then until he laid on his back. Sakura took him into her mouth and began to suck, tracing the wet breadth of her tongue along his length. Quickly, his entire body tensed and he released into her mouth. Somehow, to top what had already been above and beyond, Sakura swallowed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand in a move so lewd Kakashi almost threw her over again, tempted to fuck her stupid until her hands and knees were raw and she couldn't walk for two days.

Instead, he laid there to catch his breath, staring at the stars. Sakura sprawled out beside him, laying her head on his arm and looking up into the sky.

* * *

They had sex two more times that night, Sakura muttering hot, dirty nothings into his ear as she orgasmed, clenching around him, her sinfully pink tongue outstretched and begging as he came onto her face. Dawn was finally beginning to break as they both redressed, sobering up in time with the breaking sun.

"This is what I wanted to show you," Sakura said, breaking the silence and nodding at the sunrise while she began rewrapping her obi. Kakashi came over to help her retie the bow before she dropped the whole thing for the third time.

"The sun in the morning? Not exactly novel, you know."

"No, don't be so dumb. Just wait, and watch!" she said, jerking his chin to look out over the horizon. From here, you could see the whole of the Village, and then the miles and miles of forests that stretched endlessly into the distance. Kakashi could admit it was beautiful, but it was a view he had seen often enough before, in the years he had been a kid in the academy. Certainly not one he had ever bothered to go look at at such an ungodly time of night. He was about to say something when Sakura shushed him and pointed excitedly.

"It's only for a minute or two, but look!"

Kakashi looked out over the horizon and whistled a long, slow note.

"That, Sukea, is why they call it the Land of Fire."

The angle of the sun, so low on the horizon compared to their height on the mountain, forced the sunlight through the limitless acres of the autumnal forest. Every tree looked ablaze, the leaves melting into red and orange flames that stretched on forever. The glow was breathtaking against a sky that was just barely giving way from black to purple.

"Take a picture!" Sakura cried, smacking Kakashi hurriedly on the arm. He whipped the camera out and obliged her, snapping a shot of the awestriking landscape. Sakura snatched it from him and shook it back and forth, focusing intently as the picture developed. Kakashi backed up a few paces, refocusing the lens, and this time captured Sakura in the frame.

Sakura giggled and beckoned him back over, tucking the landscape photo into her obi. She took the camera from him and turned it around.

"What're you- hey now," Kakashi yelped, as Sakura used her brute strength to bend his knees and snap and picture of the two of them against the landscape of the village.

"There, a little souvenir for one of your many memorable trips to the Hidden Leaf," she joked, tucking the camera and undeveloped photo back into his coat pocket.

Sakura backed up and stretched her arms above her head, letting out a loud yawn as her elbows popped audibly.

"Thanks for a good night, Sukea, really. But now I need to make sure my friend is alive somewhere. Will I see you around again, maybe?" she asked, winking playfully at him. Kakashi dared to think there was actual hope in her eyes when she asked.

"Oh, I'd think it's likely," Kakashi answered, thinking about the next time she walked in to pick up her mission assignment.

"Sounds like a date," Sakura joked, poking the freckle beside his mouth with a playful nudge before walking away. "See you later, cameraman," she said, before falling backward off of the cliff edge, tumbling towards the ground and towards the village.

Kakashi stayed there as the sun rose fully into the sky, letting his henge dissipate as sunlight washed over him.

Kakashi never brought it up. Why would he? There was nothing good he could offer to Sakura, no matter how much he loved her.

Sasuke showed up two months later, out of the blue. When he left this time, Sakura left with him, surprising absolutely no one. People _were _surprised, however, when they came back with a little bundle of joy, all wrapped up in a tiny pink shuriken blanket.

Eventually, Kakashi turned over his post to Naruto, and he was finally free to retire to some onsen village as he had always wanted to, but he didn't.

He stayed in the little studio room he still insisted on renting, but with one little addition – a third, shiny new picture frame, encasing a photo of a glittering pink girl and dark-haired man against a sunrise of fire.


End file.
